DBK,

You've been in Lebanon long enough to know that what Ms. Levantine writes on the subject of the government taking care of Lebanese is garbage.

Since when does the Lebanese government take care of its citizens? I'm not joking, nor am I being sarcastic. The Lebanese government, from the founding of the state, was extremely libertarian. The government held the country together, but with limited state intervention.

There were positives and negatives to this, and when the civil war ended, the Syrians imposed a much stronger Lebanese government. However, the force of the government was primarily felt in Beirut, Christian areas, and the Bekaa. The feudal lords and Syrian proxies operated according to their whims in their areas.

It's garbage for anyone to complain about government support for people in the south when every Lebanese knows that the country is divided into spheres. The government can't do anything in the Chouf without Jumblatt's permission. The government can't take action in the South without Hezbollah blocking it and Berri stealing all the money.

The only reason the government did anything in Beirut and Metn is because Hariri and Michel Murr used their good offices to channel government funds into public works. Muhammad Safadi is doing the same, now.

Ms. Levantine's post is a whiny, Western-minded that plays directly into Hezbollah's hands. Unfortunately, she and Hezbollah duped you, too.

I don't know, David. When you brag about having rockets that can hit Israel at any time and then start buying land on a "high plateau" and preventing journalists and citizens from entering it and other areas, I will be less inclined to dismiss this story as "fear mongering". Some of us know that area too. The historical expose about the population transfer that the French and the Ottomans did in the past does not explain what is happening today. The area has always been very strategic for the "resistance", and Israel never spared it heavy and sometimes indiscriminate bombing. I don't know what role that businessman is playing in this scheme, but I do know the basis upon which Ms Levantine dismissed this story is not convincing, to say the least.

The issue is not whether these villages are meant to be a new frontline to defend, or whether their role is in communication, supply routes, and battle logistics.

Now, here's where you have to also ask questions about the phone cables fiasco. in Zawtar. All you have to do is use Google Earth and look at the area to see that this is not
intended for civilian use.

I also wonder whether the "high plateau" in Jumblatt's backyard has more ominous "domestic" (read Civil War) calculations.

Geographically, the Shouf mountains overlook Dahiyeh (and they had a role in the civil war) and along with certain areas on the coast, can cut off Hezbollah's fiefdom in the south from the rest of Lebanon.

Hezbollah's "balance of terror" was always intended for domestic use. I wonder if this is not the next logical step in preparation for war -- internal, that is.

While I realize that this is precisely the position that pleases the least people, count me as ambivalent regarding this story. While I thought Levinson's story was a good start, all I really see proven is a Shia businessman buying tracts of land from Christian and Druze villagers. Like many Shia, regrettably, he is pro-Hezbollah. That does not mean that the land is being used specifically for Hezbollah's military purposes. I don't want to fall into the trap of screaming treason every time a Shia purchases the land of another sect in South Lebanon.

So, I think more reporting needs to be done on this story. If the Lebanese army decides to roll over Hezbollah's "entry forbidden" sign tomorrow and make sure that Lebanese law is respected on Lebanese soil, I'll be the first one cheering them on. But any journalist's only weapon is their credibility, and I don't want to ring the alarm bells before I have a better sense of what's going on. :)

I think Ms Levantine is mixing up the two issues at play here.

The issue of the land-purchases pertains to the allegation that Hizballah is seeking to build a demographic belt linking the two Shiite population bases in the South and in the Bekaa.

The issue of Hizballah setting up a new network of missile launch-pads north of the Litani (in "defendable positions", as if the homes from which Hizballah launched its missiles last summer were "defendable"), is somewhat seperate.

At least, thats the way I see it...

Oh, and Ms Levantine's historical recount of the region has so many holes in it I could throw it on my turkey sandwich and call it swiss.

For a quick, interesting, and strangely pertinent read, flip to page 126 of Kamal Salibi's book: A House of Many Mansions...

...and let me know what u think!

DBK,

Your response makes it even more apparent that you don't fully grasp the situation. Buying land in a sectarian, libertarian country isn't only about buying land. For previous conflicts about land purchases see: Damour, Solidere, mosque building in Broumanna, mosque building in Jounieh.

Blacksmith Jade hits the nail on the head. Ms. Levantine's account misses the mark and plays into Hezbollah's propaganda. Given your critical article about Hassan Fattah, I would have thought that you would be more careful before you immediately gave Hezbollah another outlet to justify their heinous actions.

Dear all,

Good comments but I don't think our views are so far apart:

-Kaled, I might be a whiner but you seem to agree that the gov. is useless, so what is your point?

-Abu Kais, I am pretty sure that there is HA military activity just north of the UN zone, but what is the relationship with buying land? HA only places rockets on land belonging to them? How civilzed.

-I don't care much about HA, but I find it strange that accusation of sectarian cleansing come from March 14 (Jumblatt, Geagea and Hariri). It is a case of the pot calling the kettle black. Surely, there are fields where HA is much more vulnerable.

-Blacksmith, what Salibi writes is not the Leb. historical bible. Machgharah was an important economic center bet. Saida and Damascus, hence its interest. Merging Shi'a from the Bekaa and 'Amil is a theory, but it is just that. Maybe should should read some other books on the topic. May I suggest "Distant Relations" by H. E. Chehabi.

To make a long story short, we have enough problem in Lebanon not to start mixing up issues: land purchases, military activity, mosque/church building... HA has so many flaws yet only topic we are attacking them on are sectarian cleansing and a telephone network. Surely we can do better.

Ms Levantine: HA has so many flaws yet only topic we are attacking them on are sectarian cleansing and a telephone network. Surely we can do better.

Blimey, and I thought that we were.